Ask HN: Ways from the EU to the USA

[nsiradze]

Hi,

I’m 19, a software dev working full-time on-site in Europe.

I visited the USA and SF in January. There was a conference in Vegas, and then I moved to SF and worked from there for a month. I can say this is the place where I need to live.

I think there is a moment in everyone's life when you’re constantly searching for your place, and I can say this is what I found. SF/LA or somewhere near is the place I would really relocate to.

I didn’t go to College, as I have been working since I was 14, and now I’m searching for ways to relocate to SF.

I know my full-time job can’t do it, so I’m free for everything else. What can I do? Are there any study programs near me that I could apply to?

For those who have a question about why I need it, I don’t like how the EU works, startup life, or everything else that is very complicated. I love how free the United States is. they know the value of justice. It really fits in my mind.

So. yeah, please tell me if there’s any way to do that. As a dev, I can create great things there. I’m working on AI, and this can be a top level area for me to improve.

I would appreciate any feedback, Thank you!

[Kkoala]

Without going into whether it's a good idea, or how the current administration and climate might affect things, these are some common options I have personally heard of:

- L1 visa: Get an internal transfer from a company that has offices both in the EU and the US

- H1B visa: Get hired by a US company and enter into a queue/lottery type of thing

- Green card lottery: Enter the annual lottery to get a Green Card to enter the US

- OPT visa + extensions: Graduate from an accredited college/university in the US

- O1 / EB-1 visas etc: Convince the immigration office that you have some extraordinary ability that would greatly benefit the US

- E2 visa and similar: Start a business in the US and invest a substantial amount of money into it

- New "Gold Card": Buy your way into the US with 5 million

Some of these also have different variations with slightly different requirements

[nsiradze]

What are the chances of getting O1 / EB-1 visas? Thanks for this detailed response. I appreciate.

[raverbashing]

Just to be more realistic

H1-B without a degree and 19 y.o.? Not gonna happen

I'd believe the same for O-1 (and very few 19 y.o. have "extraordinary ability" without a degree. Very, very few.)

Easiest way would be to go get a degree in the US (of course, you need $ for this)

[DemocracyFTW2]

> I love how free the United States is. they know the value of justice

Definitely get out from behind your computer and read the news.

[nsiradze]

I get it. I can’t see many details from here. I’m watching the news, but tech comes from the US.

It’s hard for me to sleep when new stuff launches there in the meantime. Everything is delayed for me, and I'm struggling to move forward.

I need to improve myself, and here I have to work on a full-time job, +4 different side projects that are none of mine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Everything seems good from X(Twitter), but not as much as I thought I guess there, too.

I’m not sure if it is worse than in my country.

Thanks a lot for replying. I appreciate.

[phillipseamore]

Make sure they never find out you worked remotely from SF for a month.

[nsiradze]

It was not remote. My last company was based there. I was remote from the EU all the rest of the time :D

[clejack]

You say you're 19. I take it you don't watch the news or at least not the U.S. news (which is understandable)? I have some bad news for you my aspirational friend. Things are changing very fast.

It seems as if we're quickly losing the freedom to have the wrong ideas. This was certainly a thing when Dems were in office, but now it has been amplified into an Orwellian form. And as far as immigration goes, if you don't have the right aesthetic or your social media doesn't look right, you may have a problem here as well.

Good luck.

[MaxHoppersGhost]

Go to Europe and say/tweet mean things about specific groups and you will be locked away. Go to the US and support MS-13 and terrorist organizations and you will be locked away. These are not the same level of Orwellian.

[rl1987]

As things stand now, I wouldn't feel safe even briefly visiting the States.

[MaxHoppersGhost]

As long as OP is not an MS-13 gang member he will be fine.

[carlosjobim]

Then don't go to the United States. Europan immigrants to America faced much worse risks.